'Out of Trump's playbook': Fuel protests brought complaints against both demonstrators and government
The April fuel protests that brought the country to a standstill resulted in a flurry of messages to Taoiseach Micheál Martin, critical of both the demonstrators and the Government.
In the messages, seen by BreakingNews.ie following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, some accused the Government of actions out of "Trump's playbook" while others said the protesters were "holding the country to ransom".
The protests lasted from April 7th to 14th, in response to rising fuel prices and the broader cost-of-living crisis. Led primarily by farmers and hauliers, the protests caused widespread disruption, while some people struggled to get to work and medical appointments.
Sinn Féin tabled a motion of no confidence in the Government over its handling of the fuel protests, with the Coalition responding with a motion of confidence which it won by 92 votes to 78.
However, the scenes showed a lot of public unrest with the Government and rising cost-of-living pressures.
One flashpoint during the protests occurred when Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan threatened to send the Defence Forces in to break up the protests.
This was the subject of a number of messages to the Taoiseach.
One person described the comments as "straight out of Trump's playbook".
They wrote: "Firstly, the remarks by Jim O'Callaghan about mobilising the Defence Forces were deeply inappropriate and intimidating, a move straight out of Trump's playbook.
"What is even more serious, and genuinely alarming, is that Minister Helen McEntee [Foreign Affairs] was not informed. A Justice Minister discussing the mobilisation of our Defence Forces without informing the Minister responsible is an extraordinary failure. It points to a level of dysfunction and breakdown in communication within Government that should concern every citizen.
"Secondly, the behaviour during the vote of confidence was disgraceful. At a time when people like me are under real pressure, to see Micheál Martin and Simon Harris laughing in the Dáil while Opposition TDs, including Mary Lou McDonald, Holly Cairns and Ivana Bacik, were raising the concerns of ordinary people was beyond disrespectful. It showed a complete disregard for the reality people are living through."
They added: "Thirdly, I echo Deputy Bacik's remarks, 'Goodbye Viktor Orban, hello Patrick O'Donovan'. How can we call ourselves a democratic state when a Minister for Media is calling on a watchdog to review how protests are covered simply because the coverage does not favour Government. That is not democracy, it is a deeply worrying step towards something far more authoritarian. Finally, when Government TDs themselves are stepping down or expressing no confidence, it points to a much deeper and more serious problem behind the scenes. I do not say this lightly, but I have no confidence in this Government."
The last point refers to a complaint made by Minister for Media Patrick O'Donovan regarding RTÉ's coverage of the fuel protests.
Another person had similar complaints, telling Martin they felt RTÉ's coverage was biased in favour of the protesters.
"I have an issue with the way the media has reported this crisis, particularly RTÉ. It seems to me that there was little balanced reporting on this. Most media, including state broadcaster RTÉ were aligning with the law breaking blockaders. It is frankly outrageous that the law requires one to obtain a TV licence that primarily funds RTÉ. Finally, when will we see the arrest and prosecution of those thugs that blockaded our oil facilities, streets and motorways? The tax paying law abiding citizens of the country demand it."
It was not the only message critical of the protesters.
The blockades at Whitegate Oil Refinery in Co Cork were mentioned in a number of emails.
One person wrote: "Whilst I do have empathy for the fuel protesters, I absolutely condemn the blockades of Whitegate Oil Refinery, and the blockades of Foynes and Galway ports. I also condemn the blockade of Rosslare Europort. I do support the present government, but I am concerned how protesters brought the country to a standstill.
"Whilst the gardaí dealt with the Whitegate blocakde in a good way, I think our Defence Forces will have to act in a more forthright manner in the future."
"It was galling to hear the leaders of the protests saying they would bring the country to a standstill. I hope that those who were arrested will be dealt with appropriately by the courts. Once again I do commend the gardaí, but I found it frightening how these protesters were able to blocakde state infrastructure and national motorways.
"I am disgusted with how the Opposition didn't support the Government with how the blockades were dealt with. Of course they are there to oppose, but there should have been unity on the blockades."
Another person told the Taoiseach: "I want to voice my support for the government in relation to the ongoing fuel protests. A small number of people, with quite extreme views, should not be allowed to hold the country to ransom."
The Government lost a Minister of State over the fuel protests when Michael Healy-Rae stood down. It subsequently emerged that Healy-Rae did not want to leave his role, but that Martin had told him his agreement with the Government also required the support of his brother Danny Healy-Rae.
Danny had broken with the Government over its handling of the fuel protests.
In a message to Micheál Martin on Thursday, April 9th, he wrote: "I write to ask that you and the Government engage with the protestors as its very clear that for 3 weeks now the pleas of people depending on home heating oil and the farmers and constractors [sic] depending on green diesel have not been heard. The Government has not given any hearing to them. It’s time to get out and talk to them."
A number of people told Martin they had lost confidence in the Government over the handling of the fuel protests.
One wrote: "The events of the past week have demonstrated that the Government is no longer capable of managing the national interest or providing basic economic stability. Specifically, I am deeply concerned by: The fuel crisis and protests - last week saw unprecedented nationwide disruption, with blockades at the Whitegate Oil Refinery, the M50 and major ports. While the protests have subsided as of today, April 13th, the underlying cause - skyrocketing fuel prices - remains unaddressed for the average worker.
"The €505 million support package is a late and insufficient gesture. A 10c excise cut does not go far enough to offset the massive cost-of-living increases households are facing.
"Escalating unrest: The use of Garda Public Order Units to clear the blockades over the weekend and the declaration of an 'exceptional event' by authorities highlights a government that has lost the consent of the governed and is relying on enforcement rather than effective policy."
The person, whose message was also sent to numerous TDs, added: "Economic instability: The Government's failure to prepare for the impact of global energy volatility has left our transport, farming and fishing sectors on the brink of collapse. The current administration has failed to protect its citizens from becoming collateral damage in this crisis. For these reasons, I urge you to vote in favour of the Sinn Féin motion regarding fuel prices scheduled for tomorrow and to push for a full vote of no confidence in the Government."
A number of people who identified themselves as Fianna Fáil supporters told Martin that the party had lost their vote.
Some people were critical of both the Government and fuel protesters.
One such message read: "The recent fuel protests, being motivated by self-interest only, have been effective because they got a result in that you threw lots of money at the problem.
"I would like to point out the glaringly obvious, which is that the increased cost of fuel is directly linked to the illegal war of aggression waged by America and Israel on Iran, which in turn is directly linked to the impunity Israel has been allowed by Western governments to conduct its annihilation of the Palestinian people.
"Ireland did not take any effective action to curb Israel. Nor did the EU, but we cannot hide under the cloak of the EU for this one. As Francesca Albanese said, individual nations have an obligation to not aid an illegal occupation and to take steps to stop a genocide. We have done neither and in fact are collaborators with [redacted] Israel and our imperial overlord America.
"You may have bought yourself some breathing time through your largesse with our taxes, but I can assure you, your financial woes are going to multiply, I suggest you look at the root causes of the strife and proceed logically from there.
"'To be an enemy of the United States is dangerous, to be a friend is fatal.' - Henry Kissinger."
Another person said they were "appalled the government allowed this to happen" and asked how future protests would be handled.
The fuel protesters prevented the rest of us from travelling to work, hospital appointments, airports...
